1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to electric food grinders, and more particularly, to electric food grinders, such as electric coffee grinders.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Electrically powered food grinders, such a coffee grinders are well known for both commercial and home use. Such grinders are often provided in the coffee sections of grocery stores at which are shelved bags of unground coffee beans or which hoppers with coffee beans from which customers may fill empty bags provided near the hoppers. Customers who purchase the unground coffee are encouraged to use the provided coffee grinder to freshly grind their coffee.
Many such commercial coffee grinders found in stores have potential problems due to the inexperience of the customers using the grinders or due to inattentiveness. In ordinary course of operation, a customer first selects a prefilled bag of coffee beans or fills a bag from a supply container. The bag is then opened, if not already open, and the contents are poured into the top opening of a hopper. The now empty bag is then placed in a bag fill position beneath an outlet of the grinder from which the ground coffee is emitted. The customer may then manually adjust a knob or other mechanical device to select the coarseness of the grind. The customer then manually actuates a start switch which energizes a grinding drive motor to commence the grinding operation. The grinding operation may end a preselected amount of time after actuation of the start switch. The amount coarseness, or fineness, selected by the customer may also determine the length of time that the grinding continues.
One problem with such grinders is that if the bag or other empty container is not placed at the bag fill position before the start switch is started the ground coffee may fall onto the shelving and floor and be wasted in addition to making a mess that store personnel will need to clean. Sometimes, because there is no lateral support for the bag, the bag falls over either before or after commencement of the grinding operation. Another problem may arise because dust and fine particles of ground coffee may fly out of the open top of the hopper and thereby also create an unsanitary and unsightly condition in the proximity of the grinder.
Also, sometimes the grinding time is longer than necessary which causes excessive wear and tear on the grinding elements and the grinder drive motor. Another disadvantage of some known coffee grinders of the type used in stores is that they take up too much shelf space which is more profitably used to display products to be sold.
The correct operation of the grinder may not be intuitively known and written directions are often provided, but there is no assurance that customers will necessarily follow the directions and admonitions concerning proper use either due to lack of comprehension or subsequent attention to precisely what they are doing and when.
Another problem faced by some known food grinders is the inability to toolessly remove either the hopper for access to the grinding mechanism and the inability to toolessly remove and install the grinding mechanisms for repair or replacement.
A need therefore exists to provide a food grinder that overcomes these and other problems and disadvantages and the like.